Those who switch from a compact to a digital SLR camera, will in general be able to continue using their SD or SDHC card. Except for Olympus and Sony camera owners, who will have to switch to the (cheap) SD cards. Thanks to the support of this memory type, a wide array of types and sizes is available. Different speeds and storage capacities are available, while for the Nikon D3000 a fast SDHC card will do. The Nikon D3000 features a single card slot which is covered by a well-finished lid.

Nikon D3000 memory
SDHC memory cards feature a maximum storage capacity of 32GB, however; the average photographer will not actually need this amount to work with. The Nikon D3000 supports JPEG and RAW file format, at which RAW demands the largest capacity space. And compared to the high resolution DSLR cameras, this is still not too bad. A RAW image takes 8.6MB of storage, while the highest quality JPEG only uses 4.7MB. In general, a 4GB SDHC memory card will be sufficient to start working with the Nikon D3000.

FireWire card reader & USB Hi-Speed port
The Nikon D3000 digital SLR features a fast USB 2.0 Hi-Speed port at which high resolution files and in this case, also captured videos (maximum of 2GB in size) can be transferred to a notebook or desktop computer. Although the Nikon D3000 is able to transfer these files with high speed through the interface, personally I prefer a fast (FireWire) card reader. I find it the ideal accessory that lets you keep on working with the camera and spares you the fiddling with a separate cable that has to be connected from the camera to an external device.

Nikon EN-EL9A Li-Ion battery
The EN-EL9A Li-Ion battery is used in various Nikon DSLR cameras, including the new D5000 and the digital SLR examined in this review; the Nikon D3000. The camera comes with a quick charger, so fully charging the battery only takes 1 hour and 40 minutes. According to standardized CIPA measurements, a fully charged battery provides approximately 550 pictures. In practice however, this amount will be less, while photographing does not take place in a controlled laboratory environment.